militarywikiaorg-20200222-history
23rd Engineer Battalion (United States)
*Corps of Engineers|dates = 1917—1945 1947—1997 2015—Present|role = Brigade Engineers|size = Battalion|command_structure = 1st Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division|nickname = 23 BEBN|battles = World War I World War II Gulf War}}The 23rd (Brigade) Engineer Battalion is an military engineering battalion of the United States Army currently serving as part of the 1st Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division and based at Fort Lewis, Washington. Organization The Organization of the battalion during World War II when assigned to the 3rd Armoured Division was as follows;Niehorster, Dr. Leo "United States Army, Armoured Engineer Battalion, Armoured Division 15 November 1940.". World War II Armed Forces - Orders of Battle and Organizations. Retrieved 3 December 2019 * Battalion Headquarters * Headquarters Company * 1st Armoured Engineer Company * 2nd Armoured Engineer Company * 3rd Armoured Engineer Company * Engineer Bridging Company (Removed by 1944) * Medical Detachment The current organization of the battalion is as follows; * 23rd (Brigade) Engineer Battalion Headquarters and Headquarters Company * A Company "Arsenal" * B Company "The Badgers" * C Company "The Juggernauts" * D Company "Dagger" * E Company "The Executioners" * H Company "The Hammers" * Forward Support Company Lineage * Constituted 15 August 1917 in the National Army as the 23rd Engineers ** Organized 5 September 1917 at Camp Meade, Maryland ** Regiment, less 2nd Battalion, demobilised 16 June 1919 at Camp Devens, Massachusetts; 2nd Battalion demobilised 19 June 1919 at Camp Mills, New York ** Reconstituted 28 April 1932 in the Regular Army and consolidated with the 23rd Engineers (constituted 18 October 1927 in the Regular Army); consolidated unit designated as the 23rd Engineers ** Redesignated 13 January 1941 as the 23rd Engineer Battalion * Activated 15 April 1941 at Camp Beauregard, Louisiana, as an element of the 3rd Armoured Division ** Redesignated 1 January 1942 as the 23rd (Armoured) Engineer Battalion ** Inactivated 10 November 1945 in West Germany * Activated 15 July 1947 at Fort Knox, Kentucky ** Reorganised and Redesignated 1 October 1957 as the 23rd Engineer Battalion ** Relieved 15 August 1992 from assignement to the 3rd Armoured Division and assigned to the 1st Armoured Division ** Inactivated 15 February 1997 in Germany and relived from assignment to the 1st Armoured Division * Assigned 18 September 2019 to the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division and concurrently activated at Fort Lewis, Washington History World War II: Following their allotment to the Regular Army in 1927 the battalion was placed under the control of the Third Corps Area and in 1929 controlled both regular and organized reserves and as a result moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1932 the battalion consolidated with the 23rd Engineer Regiment (Highways) which had been re-constituted that same day. On 1 October 1933 the regiment was granted to the Eighth Corps Area and concurrently assigned to the VIII Corps. The next year the regiment was inactivated by relief personnel and re-organised the next year within the Organized Reserves as a RAI unit and HQd in San Antonia, Texas. On 16 December 1940 the regiment was redesignated as the 23rd Engineer Battalion (Armored) and assigned to the 3rd Armored Division.Clay, Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) Steven E. "U.S. Army Order of Battle 1919-1942. Volume 3. The Services: Air Service, Engineer, and Special Troops Organizations." Combat Studies Institute Press. Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Commanding Officers Commanding Officers during the Inter-war period included; * 1917—1918 Colonel Edward N Johnston * 1918—1919 Unknown * 1929—1929 Lieutenant Colonel Elton D. Walker * 1929—1934 Lieutenant Colonel John T Keenan * 1936—1937 1st Lieutenant James E Turner * 1937—1940 Unknown Honors Campaign Participation Credit * World War I: St. Mihiel, Meuse-Argonne, Lorraine 1918 * World War II: Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe * Southwest Asia: Defence of Saudi Arabia, Liberation and Defence of Kuwait, Cease-Fire * Company A additionally entitled to: ** World War I: Aisne-Marne, Oise-Aisne Decorations * Valorous Unit Award, Streamer embroidered IRAQ 1990-1991 * Belgian Fourragere 1940 ** Cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for action in BELGIUM ** Cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for action in the ARDENNES Notes References * "23rd Engineer Battalion | Battalion". Army Veteran Locator. army.togetherweserved.com. Retrieved 3 December 2019 *